Collapsible tube holder and dispenser wherein a ratcheting mechanism winds the tube on a drum



G. E. CAMPBELL, SR COLLAPSIBLE TUBE HOLDER AND DISPENSER Oct. 9, 1951 I WHEREIN A RATCHETING MECHANISM WINDS THE TUBE ON A DRUM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 8, 1947 5 l ll Fig. 3.

Inventor George E. Campbell, 5r.

Fig. 2.

1951 G. E. CAMPBELL, SR 2,570,204

COLLAPSIBLE TUBE HOLDER AND DISPENSER WHEREIN A RATCHETING MECHANISM WINDS THE TUBE ON A DRUM Filed Sept. 8, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. /0.

Fig. George E. Campbell, Sr.

F 9. /2. Fig. 13. M awy 19.

Patented Oct. 9, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT 2,570,204 F F l C E COLLAPSIBLE TUBE HOLDER AND DIS- PENSER WHEREIN A RATCHETING MECHANISM WINDS THE TUBE ON A DRUM Claims.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in combination collapsible tube holders and dispensers designed particularly for use with toothpaste tubes and the like, and has for its primary object to provide means whereby the tube may be conveniently held and the con tents thereof easily and readily extruded and dispensed therefrom.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a combined collapsible tube holder and dispenser wherein a ratcheting mechanism is provided for winding the tube in a step-by-step movement on a drum.

A further object of the invention is to provide simple and practical means for assembling the ratcheting mechanism of the collapsible tube holder and for removing the rolled tube therefrom after the contents have been removed from the tube.

A still further object is to provide a device of this character of simple and practical construction, which is neat and attractive in appearance, efiicient and reliable in operation, relatively in expensive to manufacture and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference be ing had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the reverse side of the holder and with parts broken away and shown in section;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on a line 5-5 of Figure 2;

' Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view taken on a line 5--B of Figure 5;

Figure '7 is a bottom plan view with parts broken away and shown in section;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the ratcheting lever;

Figure 9 is a similar view of the pawl for the ratchet;

Figure 10 is a side elevational view of the ratchet;

Figure 11 is a sectional view taken on a line II-I I of Figure 10;

Figure 12 is a side elevational view of the hollow spool for winding the collapsible tube thereon;' and Figure 13 is an end elevational view thereof.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein, for the purpose of illustration, I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral 5 designates a vertically positioned shallow trough-shaped attaching plate preferably of light weight metal or other suitable material and having a housing 6 integrally formed with the upper end thereof and projecting forwardly from the attaching plate. The rear of the housing is open and the rear upper edge is formed with an upstanding apertured tongue I by means of which the plate 5 and housing 6 may be attached to a wall or other suitable supporting structure. The bottom of the housing 6 is formed with a transversely extending slot 8 at the rear edge of which is a. rearwardly and downwardly curved guide lip 9.

A pressure roller I0 is journaled in the housing 6 at the front edge of the opening 8.

The end walls II of the housing are formed on their inner surfaces with horizontal internal recesses I2 which extend forwardly from entrances I2a at the open rear edge of the housing and in which the ends of a tubular spool I3 are journaled, the spool having a longitudinally extending slot I4 therein. One end of the spool is formed with a plurality of relatively short, longitudinally extending slots I5 to provide circumferentially arranged fingers I6 for insertion in similarly shaped openings H in a ratchet wheel I8 to thus secure the ratchet wheel to said end of the spool.

A ratchet operating lever designated generally at I9 is stamped from a single sheet of metal bent upon itself intermediate its ends to provide a handle 20 having its edges formed with coplanar outwardly projecting tongues 2| to provide a finger grip for the handle. One end of the lever is formed with an opening 22 in which the end of the tube I4 provided with the fingers I6 are journaled and the other end of the lever is formed with a yoke 23 spaced from the end 22 of the lever to straddle the ratchet I8 positioned between the ends 22 and 231. The ends 22 and 23 of the lever at a point adjacent the handle 20 are formed with aligned openings 24 to rotatably receive a pin 25 extending transversely of the rear portion of a pawl 26 positioned between the ends 22 and 23 of the lever for engaging the teeth of the ratchet I8. One end of the pin 25 is formed with a crank 21 to facilitate rotation of the pin 25 for releasing the pawl from the ratchet, when desired.

' A wire spring 2 8 is coiled on the tube I3 at one side of the ratchet I8 and with one end of the spring bearing against the bottom of the housing 6 and the other end of the spring bent angularly as shown at 29 and engaged in a notch .30 in one edge of the end 23 of the lever, the spring being arranged to hold the handle 20 of the lever in a, forward position in a slot 3| in'the top of the housing 6 as shown in Figure 5 of the drawing. The crank 21 on the pin 25 projects outwardly through an arcuate slot 32 in one of the end walls II of the housing, the pin.

working in the slot during the rocking movement ofthelever l9.

In assembling the device, the spool l3 with the ratchet I8 and lever 19 mounted on one end thereof is inserted in the housing 6 through. the rear open edge thereof and is held in position therein by .a pair of resilient U-shaped clips 33 engaging the rear edge of the end walls H of the housing and with one leg of each clip having an arcuate inner end bearing against an end of the spool l3, in the manner as indicated in Figure 7. Integrally formed with the clip is a brush holder 34 which projects horizontally outwardly at each end of the housing :6. The clips 33 and brushholders 34 are held in position when the device is backed against a wall or other supporting structure.

In the operation of the device, the rear end of a toothpaste tube 35 is inserted through a slot 36in the end wall H of the housing at its side opposite from the lever 19 to position the tube in the slot s in the bottom of the housing -6 and in the slot is of the spool 13. A forward and backward movement of the handle 23 of the lever t9 will: cause the pawl 26 to move the ratchet Wheel H3 in a step-by-step movement to thus rotate the spool 13 and wind the collapsible'tube on the spool to thus extrude the contents of the tube from the downwardly extended end thereof.

After the contents of the tube have been removed, the crank handle 2? on the pin 25 is rotated to swing the pawl 26 out of engagement with the ratchet, whereby the spool i3 is free to rotate in a reverse direction to unwind the collapsible tube therefrom and remove the empty tube from the spool I 3 and housing 6. In view of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, it is believed that a clear understanding of the de vice will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A more detailed description is accordingl deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shown and described preferred embodiment of the invention, the same is susceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention as herein described and within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A collapsible tube holder and dispenser comprising a, housing having an open back and also having an opening in its bottom adapted for receiving one end of a collapsible tube, said housing including end walls having internal bearing recesses provided with entrances at the open back of a housing, a spool having its ends received in said entrances for rotatably supporting the spool in saidrecessesior winding the tube thereon; and means for rotating the spool in a step-by-step movement and comprising a ratchet wheel fixed to the spool, a lever rockably carried by the spool, and a pawl carried by the lever in engagement with. the ratchet wheel, said spool and said spool rotatingmeans being removably mounted as a unitary structure in the open back of the housing.

2. A collapsible tube holder and dispenser comprising a rotatably supported hollow spool having a slot for receiving one end of a collapsible tube therein, a plurality of circumferentially arranged fingers at one end of the spool, a ratchet wheel having a plurality of openings receiving said fingers for sliding locking engagement with the spool, a lever rockably carried by' the spool, and apawl carried by the lever engaging the ratchet wheel for actuating the spool to wind the tube thereon, said lever holding the ratchet wheel in assembled relation on the spool.

3. A collapsible tube holder and dispenser comprising a housing having an opening in one end wall for receiving one end of a collapsible tube, a spool rotatably mounted in the housing for winding the tube thereon, and means for rotating the spool in a step-by-step movement and comprising a ratchet wheel fixed to the spool, a lever rockably carried by the spool, and a pawl carried by the lever in engagement with the ratchetwheel, said housing being open at its rear and having internal horizontal recesses in its end walls with entrances for the recesses at the open rear edge of. the housing and said spool and said spool rotating means being removably mounted as a unit in the housing by a sliding movement of. the ends of the spool into the recesses through the entrances thereto, and a combined toothbrush holder and clip positioned at the entrance to each recess and engaging the spool to hold the spool and the spool rotating means in the housing.

4. A collapsible tube holder and dispenser com prising a vertical seat for a collapsible tube, a housing at the upper end of the seat having a slot in its bottom for receiving one end ofthe tube, said housing being open at its rear and said housing including end walls. having horizontal internal recesses open at the rear edge of the housing, a hollow spool rotatably mounted w in position in the recesses by a slidingv movement of the spool through the open rear of the housing, said spool having a longitudinal slot receiving said one end of the tube, ratcheting means carried by the spool for winding the tube thereon in a step-by-step movement, and means locking the spool in the recesses against removal therefrom.

5. A collapsible tube holder and dispenser comprising a vertical seat for a collapsible tube, a housing at the upper end of the seat having a slot in its bottom for receiving one end of'the tube, said housing being open at its rear and said housing including end walls having horizontal internal recesses open at the rear edge of the housing, a hollow spool rotatably mounted in positionin the recesses by asliding movement of the spool through the open rear of the housing, said spool having a longitudinal slot receiving said one end of th tube, ratcheting means carried by the spool'for winding the tube thereon in a step-by-step movement, and means locking the spool in the recesses against removal therefrom, said ratcheting means including'a lever pivoted on the spool.

GEORGE E. CAMPBELL, SR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,869,685 Gusd'orf Aug: 2,, 1932 1,894,936 Austin Jan. 24;, 1933 1,895,163 Johnson Jan. 24, 1933 2,104,954 Stanton Jan. 11,1938

FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 315,660 Great Britain July '18, 1929 

